Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The King and Queen Diaries ❯ Saiyaku ( Chapter 22 )

Author's Note: Well, I love getting reviews from you guys and it honestly encourages me to post faster, so Merry Christmas lmao. Also, it is so funny reading some of your reviews lol…some of you are hilarious, freaking out about one thing or another. But yes, we are nearing the end everyone!!! Hopefully only a few more chapters :) The more you review, the more encouragement I get to post hehe!

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Chapter Twenty Two: Saiyaku (Disaster)

The days began to fly as the Queen, her advisor, her Captains, and the Generals began planning their possible takeover of Versai.

Every night they snuck into the city, stealing food and rescuing captive Saiya-jin families. It became obvious very quickly that Versai was not heavily guarded, but Bulma still feared the possibility of reinforcements. She still shuddered to think of the hundreds of aliens sleeping together in the throne room.

The families they managed to rescue told her of the innumerable amount of Saiya-jins being held under the palace in the moldy old dungeon that had not been used for possibly the life of the palace. The palace was only about two hundred years old, for the royal family had once upon a time lived in an ancient castle. When the castle had no longer been habitable, they had built the stunning palace that they knew today, and a majority of the Saiya-jins from the city were being kept there.

When they were not stealing from and plundering their own city, Bulma spent her entire day with Brolli. They both had decided it would be a smart idea to keep their relationship hidden until they were both comfortable. She did not want her people to think that she had carried on already, even though she had. It had been hard and traumatic, but she knew now...Vegeta would never come back, and she had to continue on with her life.

In their private time together, they were always holding one another and giving each other soft, loving kisses. Bulma had figured that he would have tried...something...but he did not pressure her once for more than her kisses and hugs. When she felt adventurous enough to do more than kiss and her hands would wander over his skin, the way he trembled elicted something so potent inside her that it was a struggle not to go further. Oh, how she knew he wanted her! The moment her hands were grazing over his hot skin had him in a bad way instantly. The first time she had noticed how excited he was had made her draw in her breath so fast and hard that it had literally hurt. He had laughed and blushed all at the same time, for he had not meant to touch her with that part of him. They had been laying in bed, ready to sleep for the night, giving each other indulgent kisses. Bulma had been letting her fingertips trace down the bare expanse of his shoulders, then his chest, making him shiver and draw in deep breaths to keep himself from ravishing her in every meaning of the word. When she had scooted a few inches closer, her thigh had inadvertantly come in contact with his poorly hidden desire.

He had apologized profusely, afraid that he had offended her for the longest time. He had even been prepared to get up and leave before she huffed and told him to lay back down. He had lain there stiff as a board until she had curled up against his side and kissed him gently, calming him.

The discussion that they had after that was certainly memorable and full of laughter. He had explained to her how he didn't understand how she hadn't noticed his obvious discomfort until that moment, for she had been doing that to him for weeks on end, possibly even longer than that. Sometimes all she had to do was look at him and he would become instantly turned on, not to mention her bending over, smiling wickedly at him, just touching his arm or shoulder, talking to him about the weather....

She had laughed until tears had fallen from her eyes. "Is that why you were always constantly turning away and sitting down in odd positions?"

His face had been red, and she had laughed so hard that she was in pain from it. "Oh Brolli, that is hilarious. You are so adorable sometimes. You act like I would be disgusted by...that part of you." She had giggled at the look on his face.

"Bulma, I don't really know what to think. I am afraid of touching you for the fear of offending you in some manner, or maybe because I don't know if you are ready...and I don't know how much experience you have had in this particular...area...because I know that I personally have only ever been with one woman, and that makes me nervous...."

At that moment, Bulma had been stunned. "You were a virgin when you went into your marriage?"

He had nodded, looking away because he was embarrassed at his lack of experience. She had begun stroking his hair and face with her fingers, just wanting to touch him in some way. "There were not many women in our village. They were either too young, too old, or diseased. That was why were were matched. We basically had no other choice."

Bulma felt something strange surface inside her at that moment. She remembered Vegeta bragging about his past conquests with an innumerable amount of women, just to hurt her and push her away. She had no doubt that he had slept with so many women, for they had been available and willing. Brolli was in the same position as her...they had only ever been with one other person.

That was the first night she had let him touch her in the way that his eyes had clearly begged to do every time they were together. When his hot lips had traveled down down her throat and across her shoulders, she had felt desire explode inside her in a way that she had nearly forgotten. Then his hand had cupped her breast, and she had gasped into his mouth, his mere touch making her ready for him.

Their intoxicating exploration of each other wasn't the same way it had been like when she had first done it with Vegeta. She knew what a man's body was like now, and she wasn't shy and scared this time. When she attempted to go further and touch the huge bulge showing very obviously underneath their fur blanket, he had abruptly halted her hand moving down his flat stomach before it was too late. He had told her that he wouldn't love anything more than for her to touch him, but he was seriously afraid he would embarrass himself with the way she had him so worked up. The way her eyes had darkened at the knowledge of what she did to him had made him groan, but in the end he had still stopped her. He didn't want to rush, and he didn't want to feel like she was being pressured into doing anything. She had tried to explain that she wasn't, but he had silenced her with one of his amazing kisses, making her pant with need and making the situation even worse in her opinion. Then he had smirked, saying, "The longer we wait, the more special it will be."

Since that night over eight days ago, she had not been able to keep her hands off him, and he her. Bardock and Turles joked with him daily about how strained he looked every time he left the Queen's tent. Turles even went so far as to say he swore his hair was getting frazzled and his veins were starting to pop out from being so tense from obvious lack of release. He himself didn't notice how bad of a way he was in until he started snapping at random people and bashing the hell out of everything in his path. The constant laughter of Bardock and Turles didn't help either. During his time apart from Bulma he immersed himself into training with the men, taking his frustration out on them. Even they seemed to notice something was wrong with him.

As the end of the month neared and Bulma reached her ninth month of pregnancy, they began realizing that Versai was nearly empty of all inhabitants and their food supply from the city was running low. Their camp was nearly a city itself now, the lanes between the tents trampled so much that the grass was all gone. There were even things popping up all over the camp, such as horse troughs, benches, and other small miscellanious wooden structures. Bulma's tent soon became filled with more luxurious objects, like rugs, real blankets, and more pillows. She had been overwhelmed when a group of her men had brought the items to her, blushing to the roots of their hair, saying that she deserved them because she was helping them save their planet. Not to mention she was carrying their future rulers!

The women that they had managed to save from Versai helped the men as they trained and increased their fighting skills by keeping their clothes clean and bellies full. Bulma loved how resilient Saiya-jin women were, for they could adapt to any situation. They knew how to hunt, cook, clean, make new clothes, build, do almost everything that a man could except fight. It was still taboo on Vegeta-sei for a woman to know how to fight, and Bulma hoped to rectify that some day, but for now, they took care of the men.

Thankfully the forest was full of food and water. Bulma knew that if for some reason they had to stay there for months on end, that she would be able to feed her army.

She began wondering if that might be the case as she began struggling to even move. Nana and Brolli helped her just to sit down most of the time, and she felt utterly mortified by it. She hated how huge she was. She wanted her body back so that she could train with the men and show them things that no one else knew. But she knew that her job as the mother of the heirs was more important now. She just had to wait until the day came for her to deliver. And with the way she felt like she was going to pop, she just couldn't imagine lasting a whole year, let alone another day.

Nana attempted to educate her on giving birth, and Bulma was eternally grateful for her. She had been afraid that she would be all alone giving birth, struggling to bring her children forth into a world torn by war. But now she was here, and oddly enough, she felt like everything would be alright.

Her pains began increasing in intensity and frequency, and she found herself walking around a lot less. She was still happy and doing her job to the best of her ability, but most of the time her men came to her tent for meetings rather than going outside and talking wherever they felt like.

She also found herself bathing a lot more, sometimes twice a day. The relaxing feeling of the cold water on her heated skin was wonderful, and the sensation of being nearly weightless made much of her pain go away. Brolli also came with her almost every time, so she figured that had something to do with it as well. They both joked that they had never been so clean in their lives with as much as they found themselves at Lake Versai.

As the ninth month of her pregnancy continued, Bulma felt herself experiencing irregular contractions frequently. When she had woken up in the middle of the night for the first time, a panicked gasp on her lips, she had feared that she had been going into labor. She had thanked the gods a million times over that Brolli had been right there, else she swore she would have swooned from just the fear alone, not to mention the pain. He had calmed her by stroking her whole body with his hands and a cool cloth, lulling her into a state of relaxation and slowly making the contractions fade. He had told her that her body was just preparing itself, which had scared her. They both knew then that she would not be reaching the year mark.

Bulma hated it, but once she began experiencing more difficulties, she found herself relying much more heavily on Brolli, Bardock, Turles, and Yamcha to run the camp and see that everything was taken care of. Brolli was gone much longer because of it, but it just made it all the more special when he came into her tent at night, exhausted but a smile on his handsome face.

She was so busy preparing herself and her camp that little thought entered her mind about the person who had written on Vegeta's will. She had shown Brolli the paperwork, and his face had darkened to the point of near violence. They had discussed who it could possibly be, but had come up with nothing. Bulma hadn't seen the look on his face afterward however; else she would have known he suspected someone.

The month-long Saiya-jin winter faded quickly into spring, taking with it the cold winds and bringing with it lots of rain and blooming flowers. The lanes between the tents became mud, and Bulma laughed when many of the children they had saved were found playing in it often. She wondered if her children would ever be allowed to enjoy such a wonderful pastime. People would probably be aghast, but she would make sure that they got to actually be children, something she herself had not been able to do.

It was one of the days where it wasn't raining and the sky was starting to turn a darker shade of red as the suns began to set. Bulma had prettily begged Brolli to bring her to one of the nearby fields to spend time with her and enjoy all the flowers that were starting to bloom, and he had been unable to refuse her. She could tell he was tired, for he had been helping the men erect a smokehouse all day long so that they could begin to preserve food. He had already bathed, much to her dismay, for she would have gladly taken her third bath of the day if he had told her where he was going. He had chuckled and said that if she kept bathing as much as she was, she was going to wash off her skin. She had pouted.

Brolli picked up one of their new blankets that lay on their bed to bring with them to the field. They left the tent and told Bardock, Turles, and Yamcha where they would be going. All of the men nodded and smiled, telling them to not be gone long. Yamcha also said that several guards would be posted around the area, and walked off to make sure it was taken care of.

They began walking through the trees, holding hands. It was rare that they got to do so because there were always people around, so they enjoyed it while they could.

Once they were in the field, Bulma squealed and picked the nearest blooming flower. It was purple with a black center, and Bulma glanced shyly at Brolli as he plucked it from her fingers and placed it in her hair, behind her ear. She smiled softly, adoration in her eyes, as he laid the blanket down on the ground and helped her sit. She groaned as soon as her bottom hit the soft grass beneath the fabric.

"My feet are killing me from that short walk. I am so fat."

Brolli let out a shout of laughter as he sat next to her. "Hardly. You are perfect," he whispered, kissing her lips. When they parted, Bulma felt like her heart would possibly explode from the love she felt for him.

"You don't find me...unattractive? From being so heavy with child?"

Brolli shook his head immediately. He pressed more kisses on her lips, hoping to take away her insecurities. He could understand how she felt though. His own late wife hadn't even let him touch her later in her pregnancies because she had felt so enormous. He was glad that Bulma was not that way. Yet, at least.

"I could never find you unattractive. There are so many beautiful things about you that I could never describe them all. You being pregnant just makes you all the more lovely to me." He paused, as if unsure of something he wanted to say. She touched his cheek, then brought her hand up and into his amazingly spiky hair. His hair had a blue tint to it in certain lights, unlike Vegeta, who'd had red highlights. She played with his hair for a few moments before she murmured, "What is it?"

He glanced away briefly, before he laid on his back, gazing up at the now black sky. The stars were out, and they illuminated the grassy field they were laying in. She followed suit, lying next to him. He came up on his elbow, looking down at her and placing one of his large hands on her stomach at the same time.

"I just wanted to tell you...that if everything works out in the end, and you will allow me...I would like to be a father to your children. I will raise them as my own, if that is acceptable by Saiya-jin law."

Bulma felt tears build in her eyes. She hugged him, kissing anything her lips landed on. "Oh, Brolli. You are the sweetest, kindest man that has ever lived. I have never really feared your rejection of my children, but it is so wonderful hearing those words come from you. I am not sure about Saiya-jin law concerning the adoption of royalty, but laws can be changed. I am Queen, after all."

He smiled, his white teeth flashing in the moonlight. She just wanted to touch every inch of him then, just to somehow express what his words meant to her. She pulled him over her, and their lips collided with their typical utter abandon. The way he devoured her mouth and every inch of her neck, ears, and shoulders had her breathless with want. She was ready to begin removing her blouse, one of her usual white blouses that she wore with her modified tan riding pants, when he began laughing. She frowned, completely confused as to what would make him laugh during such a heated moment.

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "What?"

He sputtered as he tried to talk, but just ended up laughing some more. She folded her arms over her chest and cocked her eyebrow. "What did I do?"

He calmed, and then spoke. It was hard not to laugh again though. "Do not take this the wrong way, my love, but you are growing so large that it is hard to be over you like this." She gasped and smacked his shoulder. Thankfully it had healed a long time ago, else she would have felt horrible.

He smirked then, leaning down close to her lips once more. "If you were to spread your sweet thighs wider, I will be able to nestle quite more comfortably against you."

She felt her cheeks become heated, but did not hesitate to spread her legs further. The moment he was between them and over her even closer than before, had her panting with longing. The feeling of him pressed against her made her moan softly and bury her face in his neck. He took instant advantage of the position and pressed his arousal against the juncture of her thighs, making her whimper.

"Brolli," she moaned, moving her lips and tongue over the skin of his neck. She could hear his harsh breathing in her ear, and it drove her wild.

"I want you so much," she said softly against his skin. He stilled for a moment, and then pulled away enough to look down at her. His expression was serious, not his typical goofy smile that she loved. He ran his fingers over the skin of her cheek, then over her lips, down her throat, to over her heart, where he rested his hand. She felt the rhythm of the muscle intensify at the expression on his beloved face.

"We can wait for however long you want. Now, later, after the babes are born...years from now. It matters not to me when you are ready, for I will be happy just being by your side."

Bulma felt herself glow from the inside out at his words. He was so eloquent with words, in ways that she herself wished she could be. So many times she stumbled on the words she wanted to say to him, only to hear him utter them moments later.

"I want--"

Bulma's eyes widened as full-blown disbelief and horror filled Brolli's face. The flush to his skin visible in the moonlight utterly drained until he was pure, ashen white. Terror filled her soul at the sight, for she had never seen anything on a person's face before that resembled the complete and unadulterated shock on his.

When she opened her mouth to ask in her fear-stricken voice what was wrong, blood spurted from between his lips. She choked mid-scream as his blood flowed down his chin, onto his shirt, and then onto her. He coughed, spewing bright red blood all over himself and her as he looked down in shock, almost as if he didn't understand why he was bleeding. She tried to scramble out from underneath him, but he was ten times bigger than her and had her pinned.

In the next moment, his pitch black eyes widened impossibly. Bulma watched with horror as a spear was shoved through his chest, spraying his blood all over her. Tears and screams and panic hit her instantly at the sight of Brolli staring down at the object protruding from his chest. She didn't have a chance to even say anything, because he was shoved away but a second later, his body landing with a loud thump.

Behind him, stood Lord Yamcha.

Bulma felt fear unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life. She was paralyzed with it, so much so that her screams died in her throat as panic seized her heart and lungs. She sat there, frozen stiff, as Brolli laid next to her, choking on his own blood.

"Run," he gagged, his shaking bloodied hand reaching futilely for her. She turned her head in a bizarre jerking movement to see him lying but two feet from her, and then turned back to stare at Yamcha.

He smirked, his scarred face twisting abnormally.

"Who shall die first? Lord Brolli, your lover...or your twins? Such a hard decision to make...."

His words filtered through the terror. She felt something grow inside of her, something familiar that she hadn't felt in a long time. The man she had thought was her friend stepped closer, glancing down at Brolli as he tapped his chin with his fingers, his obscene thoughts visible in his expression.

"Pathetic. He is already almost dead. I didn't even stab him through any vital organs but he is spewing blood as if I did. Hmm...oh well. Maybe he will live long enough to watch what I am going to do?"

Bulma began scrambling backwards on her bottom and hands as he walked closer. She put forth all of her energy into turning and gaining enough momentum to get on her feet to run away, but he grabbed her ankle and yanked her backwards. Inhuman fear made her twist in midair to prevent herself from landing on her stomach, and she fell heavily on her side. Sharp pains shot through her, but she kept back the cry of pain as she was drug back towards Yamcha, the rocks under the grass tearing into her clothing and skin.

Dread infused her as she realized she was unarmed and utterly helpless, as her only protector was now incapacitated and nearly dead. Tears burned her eyes, and she let loose a frightfully shrill scream as she neared her captor, hoping to gain anyone's attention that might be nearby.

Bright lights burst behind her eyelids as something struck her head. When she regained her sight, she saw Yamcha, absolutely livid, breathing heavily above her. The mere sight disgusted her, and she felt nausea build in her throat and stomach. She glanced to the side to see Brolli lying in the grass weakly, his eyes heavy as he fought to stay alive. His hand was still outreached, but laying on the ground. Blood was oozing from his nose and mouth, and from the spear shoved through his chest.

She felt a body land heavily on top of her, and full blown horror hit her, eclipsing her fear from before. She began hitting him as hard as she could, attempting to injure him in any way that was possible. He grunted at the impact of her feet and fists, but he just put more weight on her and pinned her to the ground. She was not as strong as she had once been, for being burdened with child had changed her body. She still fought and struggled against his hold, but it was futile, just like the tears flowing from her eyes.

"You stupid whore...you think that hitting me will get you anywhere? They did once, when you were still strong, but you have let yourself get fat and lazy. I will not allow you to scar me any further."

Thoughts and visions flashed before her eyes at his words, but they did not want to connect. Scar him any further? She did not understand. What was he--?

She felt her shirt suddenly ripped open, and she screamed hoarsely and heaved against the body on top of her, adrenaline spiking in her blood. She was punished for her cry yet again, and this time she feared that if she cried out one more time, she would not wake up.

Blood oozed from her nose from the blow, and she felt it run down her cheek and into her hairline as she struggled to keep conscious. Her clothes continued to be torn apart, and she sobbed brokenly in despair. She either had to accept what was going to happen awake, or be knocked unconscious and not know what was happening. She turned her head to the side to watch Brolli lying there, only a few feet away, struggling to keep alive. His labored breathing made her tears flow heavier, and she reached out her hand to him, wishing she could touch him. Light from the moon flickered in his dulling eyes, and she choked on a sob as his lids fluttered.

"Please," she begged, to anyone who would listen.

The only sound that reached her ears was a sick chuckle.

"No one is going to come and save you, you stupid bitch. Scream all you want. There are no guards, and you are too far away from camp for anyone to hear you. By the time anyone even notices you are gone, I will no longer be here, and both your lover and your children will be dead. You might even die in the process, but I will try to prevent that. I have, after all, promised myself that I will have you before you die."

Her eyes widened, making her tears flow faster. Words entered her mind, and reached her mouth before she could think them through. At this point, it wouldn't matter what she said. He was on a course that she doubted he would stray from. "Yamcha...why are you doing this? I have only ever cared for you. I don't understand...." A broken sob reached her lips as the chemise she wore under her shirt was torn down the middle, baring her swollen breasts.

A wild look came over his face at the sight of her body and at her words, and when he shouted, it was in her face, with his spittle flying onto her skin.

"Exactly! You have only ever cared for me! I loved you, you stupid whore! It was me who was there for you, for all those years that your idiot king was gone; it was me who showed you the love you craved! Yet you threw it back into my face the moment Vegeta came back. Do you think a man can deal with something like that so easily, as if nothing happened?!"

She didn't think it was possible to cry any harder, but she did so as she fought to cover herself and tried to understand what he was saying. "I am sorry, Yamcha. I didn't know that you felt that way--"

"Lying whore! That's all you are! Everything I did for you!" He was silent then, breathing harshly. He looked down at her, her round belly and breasts bared before him in the moonlight. He snarled and grabbed a tender breast, squeezing hard. She screamed, the high-pitch ringing in his ears earning her another smack to the face. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but he shook her violently to keep her awake.

"Stay awake, you idiotic Queen. I want you to hear what I have to say before I leave your life in tatters."

Bulma laid there and listened, his words forming in her head slowly as she struggled to process them. Even as he spoke, she felt her eyes rolling back into her head repeatedly.

"It was me who has made your life a living hell for all these months, do you hear me? Just about anything that you can think of that happened that was bad, it was me. Your fall down the stairs that caused the loss of your first child, the rape of one of your ladies-in-waiting, your precious ass getting lost in the underground tunnel at Jighu. That was the night you scarred my face, you bitch!" His breathing made his chest heave, and she felt bile rise in her throat as he leaned closer, his vile breath on her face. "But do not worry, for I will scar you in ways that you cannot imagine. I will make you regret not being with me!"

Bulma laid there, nearly unconscious, as disbelief filled her mind and body at his words. No...it wasn't possible. Not Yamcha...not sweet Yamcha....

"It doesn't matter what happens in the end, my whore Queen. Do you know why? Because it was me who had Vegeta taken away from you. I was the one who captured him. You should have seen him," he laughed, tossing a fragment of her pants over his shoulder as he cut them away with his knife. She continued to lay there, unmoving, disbelieving. "He ran away, hoping that I would leave you alone. I had thought of taking you, but in the end, it turned out to be more profitable to take him instead. Lord Frieza turned out to be very pleased with me, and he rewarded me well. When this all comes to an end, I will rule Vegeta-sei for all that I have done for him!"

Bulma felt the last of her clothes disappear as the cool night air brushed over her skin. She heard a sound of disgust, and she opened one of her eyes, for the other was already swelling shut. Above her she could see Yamcha undoing his trousers. The panic returned, but she could only weakly beat her hands against him as he spread her legs. He moved in between them, and she felt her body shake with weak dry sobs as she tried to get away. He began hitting and slapping her, any part of her body that he could reach. Tears were beyond her at that point, and she wished that she would just pass out to escape the pain. Vegeta...Brolli...both of their deaths were caused by this man. He was going to kill her children after he was done raping her, and quite possibly her as well. Everything would be gone in just a matter of a few minutes...and she would no longer feel this pain....

The blows to her breasts and belly made her subconsciously attempt to curl into herself, which displeased him enough to give her one last blast to the temple. Everything went black, and the pain went away.

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Bright light assaulted her eyes as she attempted to open them. Something seemed wrong...everything seemed wrong. Memories flooded back to her. She began gasping for air as panic hit her. Where was she? Why couldn't she move properly? Why did she feel wet?

She opened her eyes wider as they adjusted fully to the light. All around her was thick blue liquid, bubbling with oxygen. She tried to calm her breathing, and realized that her face was covered in a mask. She lifted her hands to the glass in front of her and pounded it with her fists, and then felt every ounce of panic disappear as Bardock and Turles appeared before her, both men placing their large hands on the glass, over her hands.

Bardock...Turles....

She mouthed their names through the breathing mask, but their faces remained somber. She looked around as best as she could, and realized with startling clarity that they were in the medical wing of the palace. How? How was it possible that she was here? Why was she here?

She began taking account of her body the best she could. Both of the men in front of her watched as she ran her hands over her skin, trying to figure out what part of her had been so injured that it had warranted a regeneration tank.

Tenderness and soreness erupted under her gentle touch, and she felt minor scratches and scrapes as well. At least someone had been kind enough to cover her half-decently, and she was wearing some other woman's hastily modified chemise, cut beneath the breasts because her stomach was so large, but at least it covered her chest. She was also wearing short pantalettes, but they were partially open at the top because of her belly. She felt the heat of blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment, and she hoped that nothing was visible and that neither of the men in front of her had dressed her.

Bardock motioned that she had only a few minutes left in the tank. Already she could feel her body recuperating and energy returning to her muscles and bones. It was a heady sensation, feeling all of the vitamins and minerals that her body had so craved for the past few months absorbing through her skin and nourishing her and her babies.

When the tank alarm went off and the healing liquid drained, she was instantly in Bardock's and Turles' arms, dripping wet, but all three of them were uncaring. Both men literally grabbed hold of her and she was embraced by both of them. They held her so fiercely that she felt tears build beneath her lids as she squeezed them back, unsure about their un-Saiya-jin like need to touch her. Especially Turles, who was always so brusque and harsh, it was completely unlike him to even casually touch her. But now, he was holding onto her with such a vice-like grip that fear began entering her mind. Had she nearly died? Was this what had caused this surge of emotion in these two men?

She had to pry the two Saiya-jins off her, but she had to laugh when she realized that both of their tails were also wrapped around her. She cupped Bardock's face with one hand and Turles' with her other, and she felt their tails wind around both of her arms, not wanting to be separated from her. Their black eyes were so wide and so full of some emotion that she was afraid that they might cry. She stroked both of their faces, trying to make them both understand that she was alright.

"Your Highness...." they both breathed at the same time, making her give them a watery smile. Their love, that was the only thing she could think of it as, was so touching that it made her heart melt. They were truly such wonderful friends, so wonderful that she could never ask for two better ones. She silently thanked Vegeta for giving them to her.

"Bardock...Turles...." She honestly didn't know what to say. She felt herself choke, and she was yet again embraced. Their arms and tails encircled her, and she felt safer than she had been in months. Nothing would happen to her with these two around. Whatever had happened, they had saved her life from Yamcha.

She hadn't forgotten. No, she hadn't...and she could pretty much figure what had happened. She was too terrified to ask if she had been raped, too scared to ask if Brolli was dead. She felt her breathing begin to accelerate as everything began to come back to her, the words Yamcha had said, the sight of Brolli begging for her to run with his last breaths. She hadn't been strong enough...she hadn't been able to run....

"Brolli," she sobbed, looking up with dread in her watery blue eyes to stare at both of the men. Their eyes turned sad, and she felt her insides crumble.

"No...no...no...."

Bardock's tail flicked across her face, stopping her from going into a full-blown panic attack. She stared at him, and he shook his head.

"He is alive, Bulma...but barely. We don't know if he will make it."

She gasped, turning around and searching from him. There he was, several regeneration tanks down from where they were standing. She twisted and ran, ending up taking both of the men with her because their tails were still latched to her. Any other time she would have thought it was the cutest thing ever, but she had to get to Brolli right now.

When she reached his tank, horrified tears instantly spilled. There was a gaping hole in his chest, so close to his heart that she could literally see the muscle and sinew around it pulsing with weak beats. His skin, lungs, muscle, and bones were visibly knitting themselves back together, but it might have been too late. The liquid in the tank was tinted pink from blood loss. His wound was so great....

"What happened? Tell me everything. I need to know everything that happened," she demanded, still staring at the man in the tank before her.

Bardock and Turles took turns explaining to her exactly what had happened.

**********

Bardock felt suspicion the moment Lord Yamcha walked away, claiming that he was going to secure guards for the Queen and Lord Brolli around the forest clearing so that they would be safe. Turles too, had given him a narrow-eyed stare as the scarred man had hurried away.

Neither men had forgotten the day when Brolli had proclaimed suspicion about Lord Yamcha, for he had appeared too conveniently and in a manner too odd to just be normal. Brolli had watched the man like a hawk since, and both Bardock and Turles had taken it up as well, for the man was just too vicious about things concerning the Queen, and too lax about other matters of state or planet, when as a Lord, he had a large say in what should occur in their meetings. He had shown little interest in anything besides the Queen, almost to the point of obsession. They had all watched him, but none so vehemently as Lord Brolli.

Bardock and Turles, looking like brothers their faces were so similar, took the opportunity to follow the slightly odd Saiya-jin, wondering if they would find dirt on him.

And they had. Too much. Not only had they found what they had been looking for, but they had been almost too late....

The several minute head start that they had given Lord Yamcha turned out to be a nightmare. When they had reached the field, it had been to witness Lord Brolli laying on the blood-soaked ground, a spear protruding from his chest, and their Queen being raped right next to him.

The absolute fury that had lit up Turles' face had scared Bardock, but he was thankfully rational enough to make him stop before he rushed into a situation that was very delicate and very dangerous. His angry, harsh breathing calmed only marginally enough for Bardock to pull him back into the trees as they both withdrew their swords.

What occurred next, neither of them had expected.

Brolli, covered nearly entirely in blood, sat up from behind Lord Yamcha, his hands grasping the spear protruding obscenely from his chest. Bile had risen to both of their mouths as they watched the young lord literally rip the weapon from his body, blood, skin, and organs gushing from the hole left behind. He hadn't made a single sound, and in the next moment, he had thrust the spear straight through the neck of Lord Yamcha, nearly decapitating him.

His dead body landed on their unconscious Queen, and they had run forward, both disbelieving. Brolli stared at them for but a moment before he collapsed, his eyes dilated and rolling back into his head, his body going into convulsions. Turles had dove on him, ripping the clothing off his own body to try to stop the bleeding as much as he could. The wound in his chest was so great that he could literally push several of his fingers through it....

Bardock felt fear, anger, horror, and devastation hit him all at once as he gazed at the naked body of his Queen. She was bruised and bloody, her eyes and lips swollen severely from being hit repeatedly. He threw the body of Lord Yamcha away from her, leaving her covered in blood and nearly unrecognizable. He tore off his shirt and covered her with it, and it thankfully covered her well since he was so much larger than her.

Both men had never run so fast in their lives, even carrying the burdens that they were. By the time they arrived to the perimeter of the camp, the entire army was awake because of their panic-stricken screams for help. Immediately Bardock called for an assault to the city and palace, or Lord Brolli and their Queen would die.

Neither man had ever witnessed the movement of troops so quickly assemble and rush a city. Within moments of them arriving to camp, the entire army was up in arms and running to the city. Both Saiya-jins had mounted horses, carrying their friends, and desperately raced after their fellow men and women.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, the gates were already opened and the fighting had begun. What little of the white aliens that were there were quickly overwhelmed, and a rabid mob was heading to the palace. Hundreds of men and women cleared the way to the medical wing of the palace, keeping the ill prepared aliens occupied as they tried to save Lord Brolli and Queen Bulma.

It all happened so quickly that it was almost a blur in their minds. Brolli had been immediately immersed in a tank, while several women took the Queen from Bardock's arms to care for her. She was undressed and then redressed in another woman's altered clothes, and then also put in the tank, where they had waited for her to awaken.

Now, here they were.

Bulma sobbed into her hands at their story. Bardock had stumbled over the part over witnessing her being raped, and now as she cried, she felt their arms come around her again.

"It is alright, Bulma. You are safe. Your babes are safe. Do not let this affect you. You are so strong, you have survived so much, do not let this destroy you."

Bardock's words comforted her. The loss of her planet, the loss of her husband, so many friends and so many of her people dead, personally killing hundreds upon hundreds of the invaders to protect her planet...she had pulled through it all, and she had to pull through this too. She kept repeating it in her mind, until the words became exhausted in her brain. She turned in Bardock's and Turles' comforting embrace to watch Brolli in the tank before her, and she gritted her teeth.

She now had the name of the bastard that had caused all of this hurt and death, and she knew that she would be the one to see the end of him.

Lord Frieza, if he dies...you will not even begin to imagine the things that I will do to you to make you suffer....

Author's Note: Review!!! Please :)